Running a driver licence check

A driver licence check verifies a Great Britain driving licence directly with DVLA — the driver's status, the categories they're entitled to drive, any penalty points, and when the licence expires. It's one of the most useful checks you can run before letting someone take one of your vehicles, and it's free and unlimited on every account. This guide walks through everything: where to run a check, what you need, how the driver gets a share code, the permission you must confirm, how to read the result, and how to save or share a tidy summary.

#What a licence check is for

When you hire out, lend or hand over a vehicle, you're relying on the driver actually being entitled to drive it. A verbal "yes, I've got a full licence" isn't evidence. A licence check confirms, straight from DVLA:

• that the driver holds a valid licence right now,
• the vehicle categories they're licensed for (and whether each is full or provisional),
• any endorsements and penalty points on their record, and
• when the photocard and the licence itself expire.

A saved check is your proof that you verified a driver's eligibility before a hire — useful for your own records, for your insurer, and if a question ever comes up about whether the right checks were done.

This is a verified confirmation against DVLA's records — not the same as typing licence details onto a customer record by hand. You can still record details by hand (see adding and managing customers), but only a share-code check counts as a verified check.

#Where to run a check

Licence checks are run in context — against a person who already exists in your account — rather than from a standalone menu. There's no separate "licence checks" item in the menu by design: a check always belongs to a customer or a hire, so the result lands against the right person automatically and is there next time.

You can run one:

• from a customer record — against that customer's licence, or
• inside a rental agreement — from the driver licence checks panel on the agreement, as part of setting up the hire.

Either way, the result is saved against that driver and (if run inside an agreement) forms part of the hire record.

#Linking the check to a customer

When you start a check you can pick an existing customer so the result attaches to their record, or run it with the driver's name and date of birth typed in directly. Tying it to a customer means the verified check sits on their file and shows up alongside their reports, agreements and rented vehicles next time you deal with them.

#What you need before you start

You need two things from the driver:

1. Their driving licence number. This is the 16-character number from a UK photocard licence (a 10-digit Republic of Ireland number is also accepted). Spaces are fine — they're tidied up automatically — but the number itself must be valid or the check won't run.
2. A DVLA share code. This is a code the driver generates that lets you view their licence details.

You'll also need the driver's permission to run the check — more on that below.

#Getting a DVLA share code

A share code is a code from DVLA that unlocks a view of a driver's licence details. You need it (together with the licence number) to run a verified check.

#The driver generates it — not you

The driver creates the code themselves at gov.uk/view-driving-licence, signing in with their:

• driving licence number,
• National Insurance number, and
• postcode.

You can't generate it for them — it's their information to share. Point them to that page and ask them to read you (or send you) the code.

#What the code looks like

A share code is eight characters and case-sensitive, and gov.uk presents it in spaced pairs (for example GT gA cD AA). Enter it exactly as shown — the spaces don't matter, but upper- and lower-case do. Getting the case wrong is the most common reason a check is rejected.

#It's time-limited — ask for it close to the check

A share code expires after a while, so ask the driver to generate it close to when you'll actually run the check. If you collect a code well in advance, it may have expired by the time you use it — in which case just ask the driver to generate a fresh one.

#Permission is required — every time

Before the check runs you must tick a box confirming the driver has given you permission to verify their licence with DVLA. This isn't optional and it can't be skipped — you can't submit the check without it.

Obtaining someone else's personal information without their permission is a criminal offence under the UK Data Protection Act 2018. The confirmation is there to keep you on the right side of the law and to make clear, on the record, that the driver agreed to the check. The driver handing you a valid share code is itself a strong signal of consent, but you still confirm it explicitly.

#Running the check, step by step

1. Open the customer record, or the rental agreement you're setting up, and start a new licence check.
2. Optionally choose an existing customer so the result attaches to their file (or type the driver's first name, surname and date of birth).
3. Enter the licence number exactly (spaces are fine).
4. Enter the share code exactly as the driver gave it to you, watching the case.
5. Leave Save PDF summary switched on if you'd like a printable DVLA summary attached to the check (it's on by default).
6. Tick the box confirming you have the driver's permission.
7. Submit the check.

The check runs against DVLA and the result comes back in moments.

#What to expect while it runs

Each check has a status:

• Success — DVLA returned the licence and the details are shown.
• Pending — the check is still being processed; it'll update shortly.
• Failed — the check couldn't be completed (see "What if it fails" below). A short failure reason is shown so you know why.

#Reading the result

A successful check is laid out so you can act on it quickly.

#Driving status

The driving status tells you, in plain terms, whether the driver currently holds a valid licence. This is your headline answer to "can this person legally drive?".

#Entitlements — full vs provisional

The categories show exactly what the driver is licensed to drive, each marked full or provisional:

• Full entitlements are categories the driver holds outright.
• Provisional entitlements come with the usual conditions — supervision, L-plates — and are generally not valid for driving a hire vehicle without supervision.

Check that the category actually covers the vehicle you're handing over. A standard car licence does not cover a larger van, a minibus or an HGV — so match the entitlement to the body type you're letting them drive. Each entitlement also shows its own valid-from / valid-to dates and any restriction codes (for example, automatic transmission only, or required eyesight correction), with plain-English descriptions where DVLA provides them.

#Endorsements and penalty points

Any endorsements and penalty points are listed, with the offence code, the points, the offence date, a description, when the points expire, and (where DVLA returns it) the fine and court. This is where you'd spot a driver whose record makes them a higher risk for the vehicle or the hire — useful both for your own judgement and for any insurer conditions you work to. The result also shows a total points and total offences count for a quick read.

#Expiry — and the three-month flag

Both the photocard expiry and the licence (valid-to) expiry dates are shown. A licence due to expire within three months is highlighted in red, with a prompt to consider re-running the check, so you're never caught relying on a licence that's about to lapse. Plan around it — for a longer hire that runs past the expiry date, that's a conversation to have before handing over keys.

#Where the result is saved

Run from a customer record or an agreement, the result is saved against that driver automatically. You get a dated record of what was verified and when, and who on your team ran it — so it's on file for next time and forms part of the hire record. Run inside an agreement, the check is part of that hire's paperwork.

If you ever delete the customer, verified licence checks are kept (detached) for audit rather than destroyed — see what happens when I delete a customer.

#Saving and sharing a summary

You can produce a tidy summary of any successful check to keep on file or share with a colleague.

• A vehReports summary is always available for a successful check — a branded, printable rundown of what was verified.
• A DVLA summary can also be downloaded when you left Save PDF summary switched on at the time of the check (that's the option that fetches DVLA's own printable copy and attaches it).

Both are available from the Download button when you open a check. Keeping a summary gives you straightforward evidence — for your records, for insurers, or if a query ever arises about whether the proper checks were done before a hire.

#It never costs a credit

Licence checks are free and unlimited — run as many as you like, as often as you like. The only two actions that ever use a credit are signing off an inspection report and signing a rental agreement (one credit each, around £1). Everything else — licence checks, DVLA lookups, MOT history, adding vehicles and customers, building drafts — is free. Even if your credit balance hits zero, you can still run licence checks; only sign-off is paused until you top up. For the full picture see why licence checks are free and understanding credits.

#Common pitfalls and "what if" answers

The check failed — what now? A failed check shows a short reason. The usual causes are a mistyped or expired share code (remember it's case-sensitive), or a licence number that doesn't match. Double-check both with the driver, ask them to generate a fresh share code if needed, and run it again. There's no charge for a re-run.

I entered the share code but it's rejected. Check the case — gA is not the same as GA. The spaces gov.uk shows don't matter, but the letters' case does. Enter it exactly as the driver read it to you.

The driver doesn't have a share code. They have to generate it themselves at gov.uk/view-driving-licence. You can't create it for them. Without a code you can record licence details by hand on the customer or agreement, but that won't be a verified check.

Can I check a Northern Ireland licence? Not yet. Share-code checks currently cover Great Britain licences. Northern Ireland checks are coming but aren't available today — don't rely on running one.

The licence expires soon. Anything within three months is flagged in red. For a hire that runs up to or past the expiry date, sort that out before handing over the vehicle.

Do I need to re-check the same driver? A saved check is a snapshot of the moment it ran. For a returning customer, or one whose licence is nearing expiry, run a fresh check so your record reflects their current status.

Who on my team can run checks? Owners, Managers and Inspectors can all run licence checks; the Billing role focuses on credits and invoices. See roles explained.